


Fade

by incognitoqueen



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Gyms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-08
Updated: 2016-09-08
Packaged: 2018-08-13 19:39:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7983730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/incognitoqueen/pseuds/incognitoqueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clarke came to the unfortunate decision that she has to join Raven’s gym to run in the cold winter months. Bellamy just happens to live at that gym. </p>
<p>“The one where the noises Bellamy Blake makes when he works out are too much.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fade

The January gym rush had settled to a slow trickle of the usual crowd at the gym. On Tuesday evenings the muted grey foyer would brighten with running and screaming children – the gymnastics for toddlers class was a success. Clarke knows this because Raven would not stop talking about it, recommending it to anyone within a 10 mile radius. When Clarke first joined Fit for Life all she wanted was a treadmill. She picked the cheapest subscription and fully took advantage of the first month free. Since then she’ learned a few things about her new environment. First off if you only ever go on the treadmill, and you stay on it for 50 minutes pouring sweat on your scuffed Nikes every day, the staff will notice. About a week in the personal trainer that led her induction came up to her on her way out and handed her approximately 400 leaflets on ‘a balanced, healthy workout’ with an encouraging “Don’t die on my shift, please”.

  
See Raven had warned her that people that were into going to the gym were strange. The word she used was eccentric but Clarke knew what strange was when she saw it. The second thing she’d learned since joining a gym was that everybody has weird gym habits. There was a buff woman nearing her 50s that left her workout half way through to shower; she then came back 15 minutes later, completed the rest of her workout, and showered again before leaving. There was a lanky, tall man around her age that worked shifts on a Wednesday afternoon who’d leave to get high in his car after his shift and would then come in to workout. The best days were when he joined classes or came into the pool that could be seen from one of the large glass windows and would lay flatly his back floating amidst the lanes. Clarke had yet to develop a weird habit but she was sure it would come eventually.

  
Getting out of her car was the hardest part. It was so ingrained in her routine at this point that she’d drive there on autopilot. The 15 minutes were like seconds at this point. The issue was that there were a couple of major distractions alongside the gym building. It’s the reason why she chose this gym but probably should have been something to consider beforehand. An art gallery with an adjoined café, a McDonald’s and a public library. Don’t get her started on the lush green park where there were always at least 2 dogs she could pet. Overall she was surrounded by motivation killers. The only thing keeping her going was the sheer fear of not being able to complete the marathon she’d signed up for.

  
Signing deeply, she turned off her shifty car’s shifty engine walked through the door of her shifty gym preparing for what would likely be an even shittier workout.

  
The muted sounds of pumping music accompanied by the too loud, booming microphones of instructors made the air inside the foyer buzz. A rhythmic drop of weights could be heard followed by deep exhales from the open door of the gym air. Raven walked out as Clarke passed the scan, swiping her member’s card absentmindedly. “There she is” Raven exclaimed, her face hiccupped, scrunching her eyebrows in thought as though she was solving the world’s problems in one “running and noodles?” she sped through the first word trying to accommodate her joke.

  
“Nope” said Clarke shaking her head, popping the p with amusement. “That one was up there with ‘the runner up miss America’”.

  
“You should be impressed that I’m still going 4 months in to this”

  
“Irritated more than anything”

  
Raven smiled, a silent laugh leaving her mouth. “What’s it gonna be today? The distance from here China?”

  
“I was thinking Northern Russia, heard Siberia is great for weather training”

  
“Obviously. Seriously though?” Raven asked with genuine curiosity: eyebrows raised; voice stern.

  
“Honestly as far as I can make it. I was this close” Clarke said pinching her fingers together in an immeasurably small distance from each other “from picking up a shit ton of fries and just crashing at home, maybe find some new music and lie on the floor for a bit”.

  
“God that sounds so good right now, I might take you up on that. Wait for me when I get home for dinner” Raven leaned against the birch wood counters of the entrance desk looking wistfully at the blank ceilings. “try not to die today”

  
Clarke turned to walk further into the building, passing the gym doors that swung open as she stepped closer. “No promises!” she exclaimed over her shoulder. She sighed in satisfaction as she saw that all the treadmills bar one at the far right were free. Her favourite one near the water fountain that overlooked the rest of the gym included. About 5 miles in and probably a bit too much sweat Clarke came to the conclusion that she was right. This was a shifty workout. Her breathing was all off, her stomach ached with the burn of the pastry she had for lunch, her entire body radiated heat because apparently some employees did not know where the air con remote was. Unfortunately, Clarke was not the type of woman to underachieved. She set out to run for a minimum of 7 miles today and with the rough press of a button she sped up, ready to end this torture.  
She had one of those Spotify running playlists that changed to match her pace on blaring in one ear and the near silence of the gym in the other. As soon as she heard the tale tale chords she pulled the last earphone out and turned her music off. She stared ahead blankly instead trying to distract herself from the burn of her legs and the ache in her dry throat.

  
He pushed up the bar with a heavy, quick strength and pulled down slowly with a strained wince. His face scrunched up and he ground his teeth together making her wince. He sighed, exhausted, and rested the weight on the metal bar holders behind him. Sitting up her rolled his broad shoulders. Clarke saw his arms reach behind his head and prayed as he yanked his thin army green t-shirt over his head. She wasn’t sure whether she was praying he’d keep it on so she wouldn’t have to be reminded of how long it had been since she’d last gotten laid or if she was hoping he’d take it off so he’d be her next time. Either way when she saw his back muscles ripple and tense in what felt like slow motion she thanked every god. His tan skin stretched over bulging muscles. The rolled up his sweaty shirt into a ball and chucked it next to his bench lying back down with a readiness set on his face.

  
That’s when she heard it. With every rise of the bar he’d grunt the number roughly in a deep rumbling voice that had a wooden timber which reminded her of the mahogany wooden desks at the library. When he slowly released the bar down to his chest he moaned in the most exquisitely explicit way. His rough grunts turned into a softer release of breath through his slightly parted lips. Still low in a pitch that caused her stomach to drop and her breathing to pick up but much more vulnerable. He dropped the bar in the hands of a trainer that came up and stood behind his back, interrupting Clarke’s view. Sitting up on the bench he turned to the trainer he spoke. His words were mostly indiscernible from this far but everything he said sounded like a moan. His voice was guttural and he practically radiated masculinity all tan skin, dark curls of hair and taught muscle. Clarke wanted to fuck him. Wanted to know what it’d be like to hear him moan her name, gruff and strained.

  
It was at that moment the trainer turned to her along with the mysterious trainer. “Hey Clarke, are you done?” somewhere along the line she’d slowed down to an absentminded pace. She swallowed thickly, speaking through her dry throat. “Yeah?” Clarke was fully aware her face was blazing red across her ivory skin but was hoping that could be excused by her ridiculously fast running only minutes ago. “Cool Raven said we’d close up early today seeing ad you guys are the only ones in. Something about French fries and a bong?” Clarke spluttered at that. The ridiculously attractive stranger behind Miller smirked. His full lips curling around his teeth on the left side of his face, eyes amused and eyebrows raised.

  
“Got it Miller thanks. Urm… are you coming?” she asked uncomfortably, the most she’d call Miller is an acquaintance. An acquaintance that may be friends with the guy she was just explicitly thinking about.

  
“Nah, I’ve got a date. Feel free to invite Bellamy here though, I’m not sure how far his social life stretched outside of this gym” Bellamy laughed behind Miller lightly shaking his head, his curls now lapped at his forehead more softly than before. He got up and walked past her as she gaped silently at Miller unsure as to how to reply to that comment.  
“Maybe some other time, Clarke” she’d be embarrassed to admit that his voice sent shivers down her spine. They curved up at her feet and shot back up her body to that part of her brain that seemed to remove her ability to perform anything but basic functions.

  
So she walked to the changing rooms to shower too. She’d also be embarrassed to admit that the entire time she was in the shower she was thinking about him in there on the other side of the wall. His skin would glisten ever more. The soapy water would trail down hid brilliantly carved abs. His broad shoulders would glisten with his shampoo. His hair would curl at the back of his neck, an obsidian black that complemented his tan skin with a beautiful contrast. When the warm water hit him he’d moan again. Guttural, resonant in the tile walls of the showers, echoing across the empty room.

  
She was still drawing this scene in her mind as she walked out of the changing room so she didn’t notice him leaning against the same counter as Raven did earlier.

  
“So exactly how much does the gym, McDonald’s and weed subscription to this gym cost?” his voice sounded lighter now, still deep but the humour in it elevated it. Clarke smiled.

  
“It’s actually more of a friends and family type of deal” he smiled at her, whiskey brown eyes framed by sooty black eyelashes, the colour of his hair, gazed confidently at her own blue ones. He walked forward until his broad frame towered over her so that she was staring at the pecks she had been fantasising about minutes ago. He extended his hand to her “Bellamy Blake. Gym frequenter. New friend?”

  
She laughed gently, impressed that he felt comfortable enough to do this. She guessed that if he was friends with Miller, he was probably friends with Raven too so she internally nodded to herself. “Let’s call this a trial run, Clarke Griffin” she shook his hand her small and dainty in comparison to his rough, large one. She let go of his hand primly fearful of hers becoming uncomfortably sweaty. She took a step past him and was relieved when he followed, releasing a breathy laugh. “Lead the way, princess”.


End file.
